The Colloquium is devoted to the history of fish, aquatic monsters and mammals in the northern seas (the English Channel, North Sea, Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea, the North Atlantic), from antiquity to 1600. The colloquium is structured in five topics: Zoological Knowledge: Naming Describing, Identifying Sea products: fishing, eating, transforming Iconography: representing marine...

In the history of carved ivories, maritime mammals have often been eclipsed by the elephant, considered as a nobler ivory to which walrus or whale ivory would only be a poor man’s substitute. But this historiographical view is not without its shortcomings, as not only did walrus hunting play a significant role in...

Introduction Baleen is the material which comprises the keratinous feeding plates in the mouths of the largest whales on the planet. It was traditionally used in corsets, along with other items from the late sixteenth century onwards. Historical references suggest that, prior to this, baleen arms and armour were used from the late...

The Medieval Animal Data Network organizes two sessions and a round-table at the International Medieval Congress (Leeds, July 7-10, 2014). The MAD sessions will all take place, Tuesday 8 July 2014, 09.00-10.30 and 11.15-12.45. The two sessions are entitled “Animals and the Creation of Identities”. Our round-table will take place, Wednesday 9 July...